Now that Dry January is over, most participants who were "sober-curious" have resumed their familiar consumption patterns, no doubt feeling good about giving their bodies a break from the known risks and harms of alcohol.

Most folks, however, underappreciate the increased risk of several types of cancer caused by alcohol consumption. "All types of alcoholic beverages, including wine, increase cancer risk," said Andrew Seidenberg, a National Cancer Institute researcher who recently led a study on alcohol-cancer awareness that found, unfortunately, not much awareness.

How does alcohol cause cancer? It contains ethanol, a known carcinogen, which can cause cancer in several ways, such as increasing estrogen levels, boosting the risk of breast cancer, or breaking down into compounds that damage DNA and cause liver, head and neck, and esophageal cancers.

Seidenberg said public awareness campaigns similar to those in the past for smoking are needed. While 9 in 10 Americans are aware of the cancer risk associated with tobacco, only 1 in 3 is aware of the alcohol-cancer connection.

Brain "Weathering"

A new study in JAMA Neurology reports that the brains of Black adults in the U.S. age more quickly than those of white and Hispanic adults, showing features linked to Alzheimer's and other dementias earlier in life.

The analyses, based on MRI scans, strengthen the case that vascular disease may be especially detrimental to brain health in Black populations. The cause is not believed to be genetic but rather associated with "weathering," the accumulations of racial stressors over time, said the scientists.

Body of Knowledge

When you kiss someone on the mouth, you use 146 muscles to pucker up and swap an estimated 80 million bacteria. It's estimated that the average person will spend roughly 20,000 minutes, or two weeks, kissing during a lifetime.

But not everybody everywhere. In a 2015 study of 168 cultures, only 46% engaged in romantic kissing, primarily in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America. Regular smooching was rare or nonexistent in much of Africa and Central and South America where the practice was broadly deemed "gross."

Get Me That, Stat!

Disparities in health research are well-documented, and some begin early. A study published in JAMA Network Open found that of more than 30,000 medical students who had published research work, women, Black and Hispanic students all were represented less than white males. The differences, said study authors, may lie with lack of mentorship, negative stereotypes and a devaluing of research ideas coming from women and people underrepresented in medicine.

Mark Your Calendar

February is awareness month for your heart, age-related macular degeneration, cancer prevention, prenatal infection prevention, teen dating violence and children's dental health. Keep calm, but don't carie on. Take your kid in for a checkup today.

Counts

15: Percent of people who get COVID-19 who are likely to experience persistent symptoms, even after initial infection clears

Source: JAMA Network Open

Doc Talk

Demulcent: a substance that soothes irritated tissues and mucous membranes

Phobia of the Week

Pentheraphobia: fear of mothers-in-law

Best Medicine

Joe: Did you hear Mike was sick?

Frank: What does he have?

Joe: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, but it's hard to say.

Observation

"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook." — American culinary author and TV personality Julia Child (1912-2004)

Medical History

This week in 1984, a 12-year-old boy publicly identified only as David, born without immunity to disease, touched his mother for the first time after he was removed from a plastic "bubble." He died two weeks later on Feb. 22, 1984. David Vetter had lived since birth in a protective, germ-free environment at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. Born with a rare disorder called severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID, David lacked T-cells. In 1999, Duke University researchers debuted a new treatment using transplanted bone marrow from a parent or sibling that now saves most SCID patients.

Med School

Q: What were "German measles" called during World War II?

A: "Liberty measles." Dachshunds were renamed "liberty hounds." German measles are more accurately and better known now as rubella. Dachshunds are back to being dachshunds, German for "badger dog."

Curtain Calls

Basil I ruled the Byzantine Empire from 867 A.D. to 886 A.D. Reportedly, Basil's belt became entangled in the antlers of a large deer during a hunt, and the animal dragged him 16 miles through the woods. Basil survived the dragging, but a resulting infection of his wounds caused him to die shortly thereafter.

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Sponchia at Pixabay